Lee's Summit, MO Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Lee's Summit, MO, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Trigger
- low water supply or pressure, drought/emergency
- Who declares
- the Mayor, by proclamation
- Restriction
- City water limited to essential use only
- Notice
- published in a newspaper + media release
- Duration
- until Mayor proclaims termination
- Penalty
- misdemeanor under Sec. 1-13
Summary
When drought or low system pressure threatens the water supply, the Mayor can issue a water emergency proclamation under Code Sec. 10-21 limiting City water to essential household and business use only. Violating the proclamation or the resulting operating procedure is a misdemeanor citable under Sec. 1-13.
Whenever the water supply in the City is low, or whenever the pressure maintained in the water storage facilities or water mains of the City is low, due to conditions of drought or other emergencies that may arise, it shall be the duty of the Mayor to issue a water emergency proclamation stating the facts and prohibiting any person from using the City water for any purpose other than for essential household and business needs; provided, however, that the Mayor and Council may provide for the temporary use of water for gardens, shrubbery and other uses for certain specific periods as may be set forth in the City's water shortage operating procedure.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 | Unified Development Ordinance: Supplement 15).
Full Breakdown
Lee's Summit doesn't run a standing outdoor-watering calendar; instead Chapter 10, Article II authorizes the Mayor to shut off discretionary water use during a shortage. Sec. " The Mayor and Council retain discretion to carve out exceptions, allowing "the temporary use of water for gardens, shrubbery and other uses for certain specific periods" if set out in the City's water shortage operating procedure. That procedure itself is a separate document: Sec. 10-22 has the City Manager or a designee recommend it to the Council for adoption, and it is where any tiered watering-day schedule would actually live.
Once the Mayor proclaims an emergency, Sec. 10-23 requires publication "at least once in a newspaper calculated to bring such proclamation to the notice of the residents of the City," plus news releases furnished to the media. Sec. " Sec. 10-25 closes the loop: violating either the proclamation or the adopted operating procedures is unlawful and punishable under the City's general penalty at Sec. 1-13.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 10-25 makes violating a water emergency proclamation, or the water shortage operating procedures adopted under Sec. 10-22, a misdemeanor punishable under Sec. 1-13: a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, or a civil penalty, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides when Lee's Summit restricts outdoor watering?
Can I still water my garden during a declared emergency?
How will I know if a water emergency is in effect?
What's the penalty for ignoring the restrictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee's Summit
How Lee's Summit compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Lee's Summit to another location·View the Missouri landscaping rules overview
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